Temple Grandin is an autistic young woman struggling to make her way in a world that does not yet understand autism well. She sees things in pictures, has a photographic memory, and high intelligence when she can visualize something, but has difficulty in subject matter that is abstract and non-visual. She succeeds in boarding school and college but struggles with teachers and peers who laugh at her and do not respect her abilities. After college she works in the male-dominated cattle farm industry, only to have her ideas for humane cattle slaughter processes ridiculed and not taken seriously although they are very good. But she perseveres and uses her ingenuity to find ways to make her ideas heard by those in control and gets many of her ideas implemented. She goes on to achieve her master’s degree and doctorate, and she is responsible for the design of many humane cattle slaughter processes in use today. She also speaks out to educate the public on autism.
What diverse group or groups is being depicted?
The diverse group being depicted was individuals with mild to moderate autism.
How did viewing your movie change your perception of students who might be in your classroom?
It gave me a greater understanding of what autism is and how autistic people are not dumb; their brains just process information differently. In fact, I discovered they can have high intelligence as Temple Grandin had a literal photographic memory. I also learned that abstract concepts and change to their environment is difficult for autistic people to process, and they tend to become fixated on specific items around them. Temple Grandin became greatly distressed when a maid had moved around a couple of items in her room. They can startle easily and some do not like to be touched. Temple would not allow her mother to hug her and was profoundly fearful of entering and exiting automatic closing doors. Routine is good and comforting for them. Temple found comfort in a close, confining device that stablized her body whenever her environment or circumstances seemed out of control. If there are autistic people in my classroom, I will attempt to put subject matter in visual terms as much as possible, keep a structured environment where possible or alert them to changes before they happen, and help peers in the classroom to respect the unique and valuable difference of all their classmates.
How did viewing your text enhance your cultural awareness of the students you will serve?
Through the viewing of this movie I have gained a greater respect for autistic people, the struggles they go through both in learning and in misunderstanding from people around them and a greater confidence that they have great potential to succeed and learn. Temple was able to achieve a Doctorate Degree, a revolutionary new system for the humane slaughter of cattle, and become a great spokeswoman to help people understand autism. She persevered in the midst of great opposition from people who did not understand her condition, laughed at her, ridiculed her behaviors, and attempted to stop her from research and design of the new cattle system.
What new insights do you have now?
New insights I now have about autistic people is that they can be highly intelligent, but do not learn in the same traditional ways of most people. They may need additional support and encouragement, deserve the same respect as any other student, and can be assimilated into a regular classroom with mild to moderate classroom adjustments on the part of the teacher. Temple went to regular classrooms all during her academic years. I am also more aware of the difficulties they face in other people’s de-valuation of them because many people do not understand their unique needs.
Was this text relevant to your teaching practice and/or the classroom community?
Yes, this text was relevant because I could certainly have autistic children in my own classroom and will need to understand how to best meet their needs, how to best help them learn, and how to help their peers understand and value their uniqueness. In the movie, a teacher came along side of Temple Grandin, gave her projects to work on that challenged her potential and were suited for her learning style. This was one of the few teachers in Temple's academic life who was observant enough to discover Temple's strengths and put them to use to grow her intellectual power and give her confidence to pursue her dreams. I hope to be an observant teacher who grows my students' intellectual power and gives them the confidence to pursue their dreams as well. I also observed in the movie, that few teachers attempted to help the other students understand and value Temple's unique learning style and needs. I want to help my students value the differences in others. More information on Autism and Temple Grandin can be found on Temple Grandin's official website athttp://www.templegrandin.com/
Do you recommend this text to others? Why or why not?
Yes, I strongly recommend this movie to others. It gave me a good glimpse into an autistic person’s world, their thoughts, perceptions, struggles, ability to learn with modifications to the traditional educational approach, and how they are misunderstood. I also had the opportunity to observe how much Temple Grandin succeeded when she had understanding teachers willing to let her learn in her ways. The movie was also inspirational to me to see all that Temple Grandin was able to accomplish despite a doctor’s opinion when she was 4 years old that her only fate in life was institutionalization.
Would you use this book with your students?
Depending on the age of my students, I would recommend them viewing it for 5th grade and above due to some mature concepts. For younger grades, I would most likely search for children’s literature/movies on the subject of autism to help the younger grades understand autism.
- Write a short description of the movie.
Temple Grandin is an autistic young woman struggling to make her way in a world that does not yet understand autism well. She sees things in pictures, has a photographic memory, and high intelligence when she can visualize something, but has difficulty in subject matter that is abstract and non-visual. She succeeds in boarding school and college but struggles with teachers and peers who laugh at her and do not respect her abilities. After college she works in the male-dominated cattle farm industry, only to have her ideas for humane cattle slaughter processes ridiculed and not taken seriously although they are very good. But she perseveres and uses her ingenuity to find ways to make her ideas heard by those in control and gets many of her ideas implemented. She goes on to achieve her master’s degree and doctorate, and she is responsible for the design of many humane cattle slaughter processes in use today. She also speaks out to educate the public on autism.- What diverse group or groups is being depicted?
The diverse group being depicted was individuals with mild to moderate autism.- How did viewing your movie change your perception of students who might be in your classroom?
It gave me a greater understanding of what autism is and how autistic people are not dumb; their brains just process information differently. In fact, I discovered they can have high intelligence as Temple Grandin had a literal photographic memory. I also learned that abstract concepts and change to their environment is difficult for autistic people to process, and they tend to become fixated on specific items around them. Temple Grandin became greatly distressed when a maid had moved around a couple of items in her room. They can startle easily and some do not like to be touched. Temple would not allow her mother to hug her and was profoundly fearful of entering and exiting automatic closing doors. Routine is good and comforting for them. Temple found comfort in a close, confining device that stablized her body whenever her environment or circumstances seemed out of control. If there are autistic people in my classroom, I will attempt to put subject matter in visual terms as much as possible, keep a structured environment where possible or alert them to changes before they happen, and help peers in the classroom to respect the unique and valuable difference of all their classmates.- How did viewing your text enhance your cultural awareness of the students you will serve?
Through the viewing of this movie I have gained a greater respect for autistic people, the struggles they go through both in learning and in misunderstanding from people around them and a greater confidence that they have great potential to succeed and learn. Temple was able to achieve a Doctorate Degree, a revolutionary new system for the humane slaughter of cattle, and become a great spokeswoman to help people understand autism. She persevered in the midst of great opposition from people who did not understand her condition, laughed at her, ridiculed her behaviors, and attempted to stop her from research and design of the new cattle system.- What new insights do you have now?
New insights I now have about autistic people is that they can be highly intelligent, but do not learn in the same traditional ways of most people. They may need additional support and encouragement, deserve the same respect as any other student, and can be assimilated into a regular classroom with mild to moderate classroom adjustments on the part of the teacher. Temple went to regular classrooms all during her academic years. I am also more aware of the difficulties they face in other people’s de-valuation of them because many people do not understand their unique needs.- Was this text relevant to your teaching practice and/or the classroom community?
Yes, this text was relevant because I could certainly have autistic children in my own classroom and will need to understand how to best meet their needs, how to best help them learn, and how to help their peers understand and value their uniqueness. In the movie, a teacher came along side of Temple Grandin, gave her projects to work on that challenged her potential and were suited for her learning style. This was one of the few teachers in Temple's academic life who was observant enough to discover Temple's strengths and put them to use to grow her intellectual power and give her confidence to pursue her dreams. I hope to be an observant teacher who grows my students' intellectual power and gives them the confidence to pursue their dreams as well. I also observed in the movie, that few teachers attempted to help the other students understand and value Temple's unique learning style and needs. I want to help my students value the differences in others. More information on Autism and Temple Grandin can be found on Temple Grandin's official website at http://www.templegrandin.com/- Do you recommend this text to others? Why or why not?
Yes, I strongly recommend this movie to others. It gave me a good glimpse into an autistic person’s world, their thoughts, perceptions, struggles, ability to learn with modifications to the traditional educational approach, and how they are misunderstood. I also had the opportunity to observe how much Temple Grandin succeeded when she had understanding teachers willing to let her learn in her ways. The movie was also inspirational to me to see all that Temple Grandin was able to accomplish despite a doctor’s opinion when she was 4 years old that her only fate in life was institutionalization.- Would you use this book with your students?
Depending on the age of my students, I would recommend them viewing it for 5th grade and above due to some mature concepts. For younger grades, I would most likely search for children’s literature/movies on the subject of autism to help the younger grades understand autism.Posting Comments: